Mount Kearsarge
7.7 miles, 2,156 ft of climbing, 5.3% average grade.
A narrow mountain road twisting up through a tunnel of hardwoods in central New Hampshire, Kearsarge is the series' quiet mid-summer test, variable, punchy grades that never let you settle, ending high on the shoulder of a bald granite summit with a fire tower on top.
Highlights
- Narrow, twisting park road under a canopy of trees, the most intimate climb in the series
- Variable grade with double-digit pitches that punish autopilot
- A short hike from the finish gains the bare-rock summit and fire tower
- Classic small-field New England hillclimb feel
Must Know
- The road is narrow and tree-lined; ride predictably and expect the surface to be damp in the shade.
- The grade is variable, gear for the pitches, not the average.
- Post-race, the walk to the true summit is 15 minutes and worth every step.
Lodging
Warner and the villages around Lake Sunapee have inns and B&Bs; Concord (25 minutes) has every chain. New London is the closest town with a proper main street.
Food & Views
- New London's cafés for post-race coffee
- Warner's fall foliage festival town center
- Views: the fire-tower summit sees from the White Mountains to Mount Monadnock on a clear day
Nearby Routes
- Road: the Lake Sunapee loop
- Gravel: the class-VI roads webbing the Mink Hills
- Hike: Winslow and Barlow trails to the Kearsarge summit
- MTB: Mount Sunapee's lift-served park, 20 minutes away